Earlier this week I saw someone do a version of Outback Steakhouse’s “blooming onion” using a loaf of sour dough bread. I loved the idea.

One of the most appealing things about a blooming onion, other than its appearance, is the ease of being able to grab onto a stick and pull it out and eat the fried onion piece. I never thought of trying it with other foods until I saw the post by The Girl Who Ate Everything.
I loved the idea, but I didn’t want to copy it exactly. I spent some time thinking of what other foods would look and taste good when made into a blooming onion form. And then I came up with this “Blooming Onion” pizza bread.

Instead of rolling out pizza dough, I made it into one big oval loaf. After it finished baking, I sliced it to look like a blooming onion. My pizza bread did get a little flattened as I tried to slice it; it was taller when it first came out of the oven.
After I sliced the bread, I sprinkled mozzarella cheese liberally on the bread, making sure to stuff it into between each of the sections of the bread. I also sprinkled some Italian seasoning and then put it back in the oven to let the cheese melt onto the bread.
I loved the result. It’s like eating pizza bread sticks in a much more fun form. They taste great on their own or dipped with some marinara sauce. The bread breaks away easily from the loaf and each bread stick is covered in cheese and seasoning.
I used homemade pizza dough for this recipe, though you can use premade pizza dough too. This was my first time making homemade pizza dough and I was thrilled with the result. It was pretty easy to make and it came out so well. I loved the crispy exterior. I was actually forced into making my own dough. I had originally planned on using some premade pizza dough, but after going to two grocery stores and finding them out of stock, I thought it was a sign I should finally try making my own.

I worked at Outback when I was 17 and even then, as a teenager who lived on Doritos, Tostito’s queso dip and TollHouse break and bake cookies, I knew a bloomin onion was a bad idea if I wanted to make it to see my 21st bday. I saw this on her blog too and have been eyeing it. SO glad you made your own version. I might need to try both

Kirbie replied: — May 27th, 2011 @ 8:22 am

Lol, that is funny. Yes I feel guilty eating blooming onions too. I never eat more than a few bites. But this one and the sour dough bread one are definitely healthier options.